'It's sad we are afraid of religion,' U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg discusses lawsuits against prayer at meetings

JACKSON, MI –As a former state legislator, U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg ended his invocations by saying “in the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.”

Walberg, a former pastor, chose those words very carefully when leading the prayer before legislative sessions, specifically the “I.”

“I knew there were Jews in the legislative body and they weren’t praying in the name of Jesus. I am not going to slap them across the face, but I don’t think it’s wrong for me to be held back from praying to the one I pray to,” Walberg, R-Tipton, said.

“As a Pagan and Druid, the plaintiff is not willing to honor the religion of Jesus Christ which has caused so much destruction and harm on this planet,” the suit says.

Walberg discussed the issue during a meeting with the Jackson Citizen Patriot Editorial Board on Tuesday, Nov. 26.

“I think it’s sad we are afraid of religion…While I will not wear my religion on my sleeve, I will not hide my faith,” Walberg said. “I don’t think I should be discriminated against because of my Christian faith so that I can’t say ‘in Jesus’ name.’”

At the November county board meeting, county Administrator Michael Overton presented a proposed invocation policy to the county’s Personnel and Finance Committee. It would require the invocation be conducted by a clergy member from Jackson County.

“They ought to be careful saying its going to be clergy from our own community, if you don’t have a particular house of faith here… I don’t think we should be forced to bring someone in from Ann Arbor, for instance, to pray at our county commission,” Walberg said.

The proposal will go before the full board in about a month.

Similar lawsuits have been filed in other states.

The board in Hamilton County, Tenn., was sued in June 2012 by two residents who claimed Hamilton County's prayers often invoke Jesus' name and promote Christianity in violation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment.

A federal appeals court recently upheld a lower court ruling, which said legislative prayers are constitutional, according to The Associated Press.

A month after the lawsuit was filed, the Hamilton County commission adopted a policy designed to be more inclusive, by inviting religious leaders to give the invocation.

The proposed Jackson County invocation uses the Hamilton County policy as a guideline.

The appeals panel ruled that Hamilton County's written prayer policy is constitutional on its face because it "aims to respect the diversity of all religious groups” by inviting local clergy. The policy also asks those religious leaders not to use the opportunity to convert others to their faiths or to disparage other faiths, according to the AP.

Jackson County could also wait to see how the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a similar case, involving two residents who sued Greece, N.Y., in 2008. A federal appeals court ruled the prayers were unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court heard arguments on that case earlier this month, and a decision is expected early next year.

“I really think the Supreme Court will come down ruling in favor of prayer,” Walberg said.